AthelingWilliam lands at Pevensey
The Norman fleet crosses while Harold is in the north, and the army comes ashore unopposed.
What the record says
Held in port by the wind for weeks, William's fleet crossed the Channel on the night of 27 to 28 September and landed at Pevensey. The army moved to Hastings and raised a castle there, and raided the country around it to draw Harold south.
Certainty
| Fact | Value | Certainty |
|---|---|---|
| Date | 28 September 1066 | Exact |
| How sure we are | High | Of this record as a whole |
People
Related events
- Stamford Bridge
Harold defeats the Norwegian host.
- Hastings
William defeats Harold's army on the ridge north of Hastings. Harold is killed.
- William gathers ships
Norman preparations turn a claim into a credible threat.
- Edgar submits at Berkhamsted
William crosses the Thames at Wallingford and the English leaders come out to meet him.
- William is crowned at Westminster
Ealdred of York crowns the Conqueror on Christmas Day while his guards set fire to the houses outside.
Sources
Where this is recorded
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Avalon Project)
- William of Poitiers, Gesta Guillelmi, ed. R. H. C. Davis and Marjorie Chibnall, Oxford Medieval Texts, 1998
- William of Jumièges, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, ed. Elisabeth van Houts, Oxford Medieval Texts, 1992 to 1995
- The Bayeux Tapestry (Bayeux Museum)
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